Ancient Egyptian Art
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What can you tell me about this Mask?
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Egyptian Cobra
(Wadjet)
Egyptian Vulture
(Nekhbet) – Tool using bird
Gold
Lapis Lazuli
Quartz
Colored Glass
Obsidian
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Objectives
• Identify the three major periods of
Egyptian history.
• Analyze the role that religion played in
the development of art and
architecture.
• Describe the strict set of rules imposed
on Egyptian artists.
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3 Major Periods of Egyptian History
•OLD KINGDOM (c. 2649-2150 B.C.E.)
•MIDDLE KINGDOM (c. 2040-1640 B.C.E.)
•NEW KINGDOM (c. 1550-1070 B.C.E.)
Egypt is
Located in
Northern
Africa
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Old Kingdom (c. 2649-2150 B.C.E.)
• In the seated portrait of Khafre, the
figure has the solid, block like form of
the hard diorite stone from which it
was carved.
•The Pharaoh is shown as sitting
upright and attentive, but the head
has a lifelike appearance.
•The Pharaoh was considered both
God and King of Egypt.
• Khafre was considered to be a
descendent of the Ra, the sun god.
Pharaoh Khafre, c. 2600 B.C.E.
Diorite. 66 inches tall.
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Middle Kingdom (c. 2040-1640 B.C.E.)
• Much of the sculpture was
destroyed in this period by invaders
and by the New Kingdom rulers who
followed.
•A fragment of King Sesotris III is an
example of the skill and sensitivity
demonstrated by the carvers of this
period.
• Depicted with a sense of Realism.
• His expression conveys a look that is
troubled and weary.
Fragment of Head of King Sesostris III.
Red Quartzite stone. 6.5” tall.
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New Kingdom (c. 1550-1070 B.C.E.)
• Nefertiti translates to “the beautiful one
has come.”
• Carved from limestone, coated with
plaster, and then richly painted.
• Depicted with more realism than the
earlier periods before.
• Continued tradition of figure depiction
in Egyptian art. Most portraits are frontal
and depict serious facial expressions.
• Mother-in-law of King Tutankhamen
and was Queen of Egypt for a short
period before the rise of King Tut.
Queen Nefertiti. c. 1360 B.C.E.
Limestone. 20” inches high.
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Religion and the Pyramids
•The pyramid shape developed
gradually over time.
•Originally, the Egyptians buried
their dead in hidden pits, but this
practice changed.
•Egyptians began to use sundried bricks to build mastabas.
• A mastaba is a low, flat tomb.
•These rectangular tombs had
sloping sides and contained a
chapel and a false burial
chamber in addition to the true
one hidden deep inside.
•Eventually, mastabas were
built without steps, and a point
was added on the top, thus
creating the true pyramid form.
Step Pyramid of King Zoser, Saqqara,
Egypt. c. 2681-2662 B.C.E.
OLD KINGDOM
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Religion and the Pyramids
• Egyptian religion placed
great importance on the
resurrection of the soul, or
ka, and eternal life in the
spirit world after death.
• The body was preserved
and protected in a stone
coffin, or sarcophagus,
inside the pyramid for the
eventual return of the ka.
• The eventual return of
the ka guaranteed the
body immortality in the
next world.
• Such a tomb served as
an elaborate kind of
insurance against final
death.
The Pyramids of Giza.
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Inside of the Tomb
Trinity of King Menkaure (Mycerinus) with (left)
Goddess Hathor, and (right) goddess of the nome
of Diospolis Parva, green slate, h: 37.25",
Bas Relief: Sculpture in which the image is raised or
projects off the surface
Ka statues from Tomb of
Prince Rahotep and wife
Nofret, Medum, Egypt,
painted limestone, h: 47.5”
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Inside of the Tomb
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Egyptian Architecture
•The Sphinx with it’s
massive size and the
head of Pharaoh Khafre
on the body of a lion was
intended to demonstrate
the power of the
pharaoh.
•Carved from stone at
the site and stands at 65
feet tall.
The Great Sphinx of Giza, with the Pyramid of
Khafre in the background.
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Rules of Egyptian Art
• Every part of the body must
be shown from the most familiar
point of view.
• The head, arms, legs, and
feet were always shown in
profile, whereas the eyes and
shoulders were presented as
seen from the front.
• Following these rules paintings
and relief sculptures were
distorted and unnatural.
•Every wall in the tomb was
decorated. Horror Vacui – Fear
of empty spaces.
Fowling Scene from Nebamun’s Tomb.
1400 B.C.E.
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What can you tell me about this Stone?
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Hieroglyphics
• Hieroglyphics were an early
form of picture writing.
• These symbols, some of which
represented objects,
communicated information
and were included in wall
paintings and other art forms to
help tell the story.
•The signs were generally
spaced to form attractive
patterns frequently clusters of
squares or rectangles called a
cartouche
Rosetta Stone:
(Tri - Lingual)
Hieroglyphics ,
Demotic, and
Acient Greek
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Slide Review
Fragment of Head of King Sesostris III.
Red Quartzite stone. 6.5” tall.
Queen Nefertiti. c. 1360 B.C.
Limestone. 20” inches high. 18
Slide Review
The Great Sphinx of Giza, with the Pyramid of
Khafre in the background.
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Slide Review
Step Pyramid of King Zoser,
Saqqara, Egypt. c. 2681-2662 B.C.
Pharaoh Khafre, c. 2600 B.C.
Diorite. 66 inches tall.
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Review
• What are the major periods of
Egyptian art?
• How are the pyramids used?
• What rules did Egyptian painters and
sculptors have to use in art creation?
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